Seafood, raw bar and absinthe are the three key terms that the Savoy, which is opening the week of July 13 in Wicker Park, uses to describe itself. This "homage to Bohemia, nautical antiquity and old Chicago" is the concept of owner/operator Ricky Moore and chef Brian Greene, whose résumé includes Tramonto's Steak & Seafood, [node:150291 link=Purple Pig;] and two restaurants in Highland Park: Abigail's American Bistro and M Restaurant, where he was most recently the executive chef.

The restaurant is a long, narrow space divided into four sections. First, there's the raw bar, from which will come East and West Coast oysters, ceviche, geoduck clams and more. Then the dining room, where the seafood focus continues with dishes like grilled fresh-water eel anticuchos (skewers), sturgeon with black forbidden rice and grilled purple kale, and black-garlic escargot with parsley brioche crumbs. (Non-seafood dishes, like a bone-in ribeye or pairing of Black Earth Farms pork-belly confit with seared scallops, will also be served.)

In the back half of the restaurant is the bar area, which will have a single tap line: Greenbush Brewing Co.'s Penitence, a rye stout that the Savoy collaborated on with the Sawyer, Michigan, brewery to pair well with oysters. (The beer is available exclusively at the Savoy.) In addition to the one draft, the Savoy will have domestic and imported craft beers (with an emphasis on hard-to-find European brews) as well as wine, cider (the Savoy will feature six) and cocktails, all of which can be consumed in the "curtained-off" back lounge.

This is not to mention the absinthe program, which will feature a range of European and American varieties served traditionally and in cocktails (such as the Corpse Reviver, Death in the Afternoon and Absinthe Suisesse), in an effort to "serve as the spirit's hub in Chicago."

The Savoy (1408 N Milwaukee Ave, savoychicago.com) is slated to open the week of July 13 and will open initially for dinner from 5–11pm, with a late-night menu served from 10pm–1am; the bar will stay open until 2am. Lunch (Mon–Fri) and brunch (Sat, Sun) will launch the following week.